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Sweet Milk Scones
Sweet Milk Scones
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These are featherweight scones with a light crumb. Nothing like those heavy hockey pucks one often encounters.
I was tired of being deceived by tall, lovely looking scones sitting on polished pedestals and under glass domes. Surely, someone must have taken a ruler and measured the height of every cut dough before it was allowed in the oven.
With that even varnish of glossy egg wash, it was the ideal picture of a perfect scone. The problem was that was where the perfection ended. One bite and the scone felt sticky on the teeth and upon going down the throat it felt as if it could possibly get lodged in there.
Determined not to waste my calorie quota on those, I scoured through my cookbooks. I finally tested a recipe that was all that I wanted a scone to be. It baked out light, tasted light, did not stick to my teeth and it went beautifully down my throat. It did not matter that they were not tall. It was my perfect scone. The extra bonus? It reheated very well the next day.
Determined not to waste my calorie quota on those, I scoured through my cookbooks. I finally tested a recipe that was all that I wanted a scone to be. It baked out light, tasted light, did not stick to my teeth and it went beautifully down my throat. It did not matter that they were not tall. It was my perfect scone. The extra bonus? It reheated very well the next day.
Who came up with the recipe? The editors of Cook's Illustrated. In their test kitchen, they had tested and analysed ingredients and recipes. Thereafter, they compiled the best of them into 'The Best Recipes'.
Try their scone recipe and you might never be tempted to buy another store bought scone again.
SWEET MILK SCONES Try their scone recipe and you might never be tempted to buy another store bought scone again.
Recipe adapted from 'Cook's Illustrated, The Best Recipes'.
Prep:
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20 minutes
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Cook:
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10 to 12 minutes
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Inactive:
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None
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Level:
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Moderately easy
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Makes:
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8 to 9, 2 and 1/2" (6.5 cm) scones
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Oven
Temperature:
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450F (225C) Gas Mark 8
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Can
recipe be doubled?
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Yes, but I will only double and not more. It would be difficult to incorporate all the ingredients without over working the dough.
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Make
ahead?
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I would not make this ahead if I can help it. However, I have popped the cut scones on its tray, covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator up to half an hour before I was ready to bake.
In fact, if your oven is not ready for the scones, do keep the unbaked scones in the refrigerator. You want them to be cold when they hit the oven. It does make a difference to achieving light scones. Any uneaten scones can be covered loosely with aluminium foil and reheated in the oven at 450F (225C) for 10 to 15 minutes or until warmed through. |
2 cups (9 oz) (250 g) all-purpose/plain flour
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon sugar
4 Tablespoons (2 oz) (60 g) unsalted butter
Cut into 1/2" pieces and well chilled.
3/4 cup (185 ml) milk
Keep chilled plus keep about 2 Tablespoons extra aside should you need it to help bring the dough together.
Directions
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450F (225C).
Mixing by hand
Whisk dry ingredients together in a large bowl. With fingertips, pastry cutter or 2 knives, work butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal with a few slightly larger butter lumps.
Make a well in the centre and pour in the milk.
Using a pastry/bench scraper (a flexible silicon one works best for me) or a spatula, work quickly to incorporate the dry ingredients into the milk.
I use my silicon pastry scraper and flick the flour from the circumference over the pool of milk. Next, I dig my scraper deep into the bottom of the bowl and then lift and drop mixture over itself until dry and wet ingredients are just incorporated. Do not stir.
If the mixture looks too dry and it does not seem to be coming together, distribute 1 to 2 Tablespoons of milk now.
It is better to work with a slightly more moist than a dry dough. From my experience, a slightly sticky dough promises lighter scones.
The mixture will feel slightly sticky. As far as you can manage, flour fingers and/or your pastry/bench scraper lightly instead of adding flour directly to the mixture.
The mixture will look scraggly and lumpy. Take a look at the second photograph below.
Transfer the scraggly mixture onto your lightly floured work surface.
Using a pastry/bench scraper (a flexible silicon one works best for me) or a spatula, work quickly to incorporate the dry ingredients into the milk.
I use my silicon pastry scraper and flick the flour from the circumference over the pool of milk. Next, I dig my scraper deep into the bottom of the bowl and then lift and drop mixture over itself until dry and wet ingredients are just incorporated. Do not stir.
If the mixture looks too dry and it does not seem to be coming together, distribute 1 to 2 Tablespoons of milk now.
It is better to work with a slightly more moist than a dry dough. From my experience, a slightly sticky dough promises lighter scones.
The mixture will feel slightly sticky. As far as you can manage, flour fingers and/or your pastry/bench scraper lightly instead of adding flour directly to the mixture.
The mixture will look scraggly and lumpy. Take a look at the second photograph below.
Transfer the scraggly mixture onto your lightly floured work surface.
Use your pastry scraper to gently gather mixture into a rough ball. If the dough is too sticky to handle, a dusting of flour will help move things along.
Mixing using food processor
Into a food processor fitted with a metal blade, pour in all dry ingredients. Pulse twice to mix dry ingredients. Remove cover and distribute butter. Cover and pulse butter into flour mixture until mixture resembles coarse meal with a few slightly larger butter lumps. It should take just 4 or 5, 3-seconds pluses.
This is where I will remove the coarse meal mixture and work the milk in by hand as per the instructions above. I have never been able to work the milk in successfully with the food processor. I end up with tough scones. I am including Cook's Illustrated's instructions to work milk in with the food processor. I wish you better luck.
Pour milk in through feed tube and pulse until dough starts to gather into a rough ball. Do not over process.
Turn dough onto a floured work surface.
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| Mixture should looks somewhat like this with a few slightly larger lumps of butter. |
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| Scraggly looking mixture after milk has been worked in and before it is shaped into a rough dough ball. |
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| Rolled to 1/2" thickness. It is fine if the surface of dough looks cracked. Being able to see the tiny knobs of butter is a good thing. |
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| These cut out dough are looking the way they should. Flakes of butter in them are still visible. It will not bake out tall with smooth tops but it will taste very light. |
Have ready the following:
- Rolling pin
- Small knife
- 2 and 1/2" (6.5 cm) round cutter
- Small dish at least 3" (7.5 cm)in diameter with enough flour in it for you to dip your round cutter.
- 1/4 cup of flour
- Flour sifter or a sieve, to sift the 1/4 cup of flour as needed
- Lined and buttered baking sheet. I use a Silpat and do away with lining and buttering
Dip round cutter in flour and with one swift movement cut through dough. Try not to jiggle the cutter. Remember, you are trying not to over work the dough. Lift cut dough out of rolled out dough with the round cutter. Drop cut dough onto baking sheet. Minimise handling the dough with your hands. The knife is there to help you cut or loosen dough.
Dip cutter into flour as often as required and continue to cut out round dough. Leave as little gaps as possible when cutting dough rounds. Gather scraps gently together with the pastry scraper. You should have enough dough to cut one more 2 and 1/2" round. Gather remaining scraps into a rough 2" (5 cm) ball, frame it with the round cutter. Press dough outwards to form another 2 and 1/2" round. Place this last piece of cut dough on the centre of baking sheet. Why? It is probably the smallest of all your punched out dough and will bake too quickly if placed along the perimeters of the baking sheet.
Bake straight away for 10 - 12 minutes. The tops should be golden brown and the bottoms very slightly browned.
If you are not ready to bake, cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Do not leave uncooked scones on your work surface.
Serve with good clotted cream, whipped double/thickened cream and strawberry jam. Sometimes I serve them with sliced or whole fresh strawberries as well.
Tips
- Chill all your dry ingredients either overnight or half an hour before you need it. Keeping everything chilled helps to prevent the butter from melting as you work it into the dough. It makes for lighter scones too.
- Work your dough as little as possible. The more you fiddle with it, the heavier your scones will turn out. You do not need a perfect looking dough ball.
- Please do not add an egg wash. It makes the scone smell and taste eggy. The scones are pretty as they are. Leave them alone. Besides, you will have leftover eggs which you would then have to decide what to do with.
- If you do not want to cut dough into rounds, you have the following 2 options:
- Roll dough into a 1/2" (1.25 cm) thick flat round. Transfer onto baking sheet. Cut into 6 or 8 wedges. Do not separate the wedges. Bake as is. You can break them apart when they come out of the oven. You must adjust baking time though. They should be done in 15 to 20 minutes.
- Roll dough into a 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) thick rectangle. Cut into 2" (5 cm) squares. Transfer onto baking sheet. Do not separate the squares. Bakes as is. You can break them apart when they come out of the oven. You must adjust baking time though. They should be done in 15 to 20 minutes.
WHAT'S COMING UP NEXT?
In my most recent post under Devil Curry, Curry Debal, I had carried on about my love for Cornish Clotted Cream with scones and how I had carted them home from London and had been eating spoonfuls of it. That spawned my idea of posting a spread of food to serve for English Afternoon Tea.
At my own not too long ago English Afternoon Tea party, I had served:
In my most recent post under Devil Curry, Curry Debal, I had carried on about my love for Cornish Clotted Cream with scones and how I had carted them home from London and had been eating spoonfuls of it. That spawned my idea of posting a spread of food to serve for English Afternoon Tea.
At my own not too long ago English Afternoon Tea party, I had served:
- A classic Victoria Sponge Cake sandwich with buttercream icing and strawberry jam
- Egg and Cress Tea Sandwiches
- Smoked Salmon with Dill Butter Tea Sandwiches
- Roast Beef with Beetroot Tea Sandwiches
- Crisp Cucumber Tea Sandwiches
- Ham with Honey Butter Tea Sandwiches
- Checkerboard Cookies
- and scones of course
We do not have a particularly sweet tooth (except for Checkerboard Cookies) and would much rather have more savoury items for our afternoon tea. You could always bake more sweet items or just buy macaroons which will look pretty on any plate.
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| It is so difficult to choose a favourite. Egg and Cress Tea Sandwich, the top left corner sandwich, is creamy but made light with the fresh tasting bite of watercress. I also like the Crisp Cucumber Tea Sandwich to the right. It stays crisp through the next day. I like the Checkerboard Cookies which require some effort, actually a lot of effort but they are so good it is worth the effort. Oh, I just like them all! |
Which recipe should I post next? Hmm, the recipe for Checkerboard Cookies? Maybe Egg and Cress Tea Sandwiches? The Smoked Salmon with Dill Butter Tea Sandwiches are also delicious. It is so hard to decide. So, just stay tuned!
Sounds and looks really good. But so many steps!!
ReplyDeleteThank you. I want your scones to turn out as good as mine! No secrets here. Mixing ingredients, punching out dough and into the oven should take you no longer than 7 to 10 minutes. Faster if you do not bother using a round cutter and just cut into wedges or squares. Try and let me know.
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